Politico reports a draft European Commission proposal would grant candidate countries phased access to the EU single market during the accession review, conditional on their agreement to align with the EU against hostile states and industrial competitors. The draft offers unprecedented pre-accession integration — smoother trade flows and participation in EU research programmes — for countries some have waited decades to join. An attached assessment says "the single market is the primary tool to

Politico reports a draft European Commission proposal would grant candidate countries phased access to the EU single market during the accession review, conditional on their agreement to align with the EU against hostile states and industrial competitors. The draft offers unprecedented pre-accession integration — smoother trade flows and participation in EU research programmes — for countries some have waited decades to join. An attached assessment says "the single market is the primary tool to achieve economic convergence."